Waiting Game
by harukkari
Summary: She's always been the stronger of the two. - Maya/Phoenix.


**Waiting Game**

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Over the years, Maya has gotten better at waiting.

When she's not playing with Pearly or doing her duties as the head of the Fey clan, she thinks of him. She wonders how the years have changed him, if he still has that spiky hair she loved to run her hands through, laughing at his distress when she messed it up. She wonders if his wallet has gotten any bigger. After all, he's probably a world-renowned defense attorney at this point and forgotten all about her, she thinks fondly.

She wonders if he still thinks of her.

.

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The headlines of the newspapers slap her in the face and she can't help but flinch.

"What does 'disbarred' mean?" Pearly whispers with wide eyes, seeing the devastated look on her face. Maya hesitates, shakes her head vehemently.

"It's nothing, Pearly. Nick's all right."

She wishes she could convince herself.

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After that, she tries to gather up the courage to call him. She locks herself in her room and stares at the phone, waiting, hoping he'll call first. When she doesn't come out for hours, the nuns come looking for her, pounding on her locked door and calling if she's all right, fear and worry tinging their voices.

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On the other side, Phoenix finds himself gazing hopelessly at his cell phone, trying to find the courage to pick it up. Wishing he weren't such a coward.

He's the first to leave.

.

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If Mia were here, she would have said something like, "Life goes on."

So Maya tries. She spends more time with Pearly than usual, grateful for her companionship but envious of her childhood obliviousness. She goes outside for daily walks and admires her surroundings. Kurain Village is always pretty in the springtime, with clear cerulean skies and thousands of cherry blossom petals dancing in the cool breeze. The ponds are vibrant and full of life, golden fish darting here and there in the shallows.

 _It's beautiful_ , she thinks, then bursts into tears.

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When she finally gathers the determination to call Nick, it is an early summer evening. She picks up the phone and dials the numbers—these days, they are ingrained in her memory—and holds her breath as she listens to it ring, once, twice, three times.

She wipes her clammy hands on her robe, bites her lip. She still doesn't know what she'll say when he picks up, but it won't matter as long as she says something. Anything. Just to break the years of silence.

In the end, the only voice Maya hears on the other end is the answering machine. She doesn't know what she was expecting.

She doesn't have the courage to try again.

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Thirty-four days, ten hours, and fifteen minutes.

Maya tries to forget about him, and for a while, it works. As the head of the Fey clan, she is too busy, has too many responsibilities, to spend all her time in angst and regret. She trains, attends to her duties, and tries to follow the advice of the nuns, who have all noticed her distress. Although Pearly was shocked when she first heard the news, now she tries to be cheerful enough for the both of them.

 _It's better this way,_ she tells herself. _You're not important to him anymore._

She tries to convince herself that Nick's never been important to her either.

It doesn't work.

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Months and months have passed when Maya first realizes she loves him. She has long since stopped counting the days, but she still can't get him out of her mind, and that's when she comes to the realization that she can't live without him.

After all, he _has_ always been the largest part of her (and her burger dealer).

To her surprise, she realizes it doesn't matter if Nick doesn't care about her anymore. She just needs to see him again and apologize for the past years of silence. Maybe upon seeing his face one last time, she can live the rest of her life in peace.

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With that in mind, Maya leaves Kurain Village without telling anyone and takes the train to the city. Guided only by her faint memories, she makes her way to Nick's old apartment with the hope that he still lives there.

She hesitates at the entrance, but gathering up all her courage, knocks on the door, twice.

No one answers for a while, and Maya knocks again, losing hope. Just when she is about to turn away and leave, the door swings open.

She almost doesn't recognize him for a moment. The spiky black hair that she used to know and love is hidden under a bright blue beanie. He's wearing a faded gray sweatshirt and it looks like he hasn't shaved in days. But Maya knows it's Nick nevertheless, and that knowledge alone makes her happier than anything.

They stare at each other for several seconds, in which her eyes begin welling up with tears. She wipes them away furiously, feeling humiliated—like she doesn't matter to him anymore, like he doesn't even remember her.

Then he smiles, his eyes crinkling at the edges, and all is as it was before.

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"Maya."

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 **Notes:** _Ughh the feels... I practically started crying when I wrote this_

 _What's weird is, I love writing angsty endings but I just couldn't do it for Phoenix/Maya (the OTP)_

 _Reviews/favs are appreciated!_


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